Red alert after fresh volcano erupts in Guatemala, 200 people flee

Guatemalan authorities have urged people living near Volcan De Fuego to leave after a fresh volcano erupted in the early hours of Monday sparked a red alert, an official said.

According to the official report, the 'Volcano of Fire' or 'Fuego Volcano' erupted in the Guatemala City, which lies 16 km west of the major tourist destination of Antigua, forcing about 200 residents to flee from home for safety.

A spokesman for Guatemala's disaster management agency CONRED, David de Leon, said 214 residents who live on the slopes of Fuego, mostly in the southern municipality of Escuintla, were moved to safe zones and more will follow.

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A fiery glow rose from the crater of Fuego which is erupting for the fifth time this year, one month after the last one and following a June 3 rain of rocks, ash and toxic gases that left almost 200 people dead and 235 missing.

State officials have asked the residents of 2,000 people to leave the area after an increasing eruption of lava.

"About 2,000 people in total have been asked to leave the area of the 3,763-meter (12,246-foot) volcano, 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Guatemala City," said David.

Since the eruption began on Sunday morning, lava rises 500 meters above Fuego's crater, while the ash column exceeds one kilometer above the volcanic cone and is causing a rain of particles, the Institute of Volcanology said.

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National Hurricane Center's Tropical Analysis and Forecast Branch (TAFB) took to Twitter and alerted an ashfall advisory.

"..Ashfall Advisory... Fuego Volcano in southern Guatemala is erupting and sending a plume of volcanic ash toward the offshore waters. Ashfall may reach to the surface with visibilities reduced to 1 nm or less," TAFB tweeted.

...Ashfall Advisory... Fuego Volcano in southern Guatemala is erupting and sending a plume of volcanic ash toward the offshore waters. Ashfall may reach to the surface with visibilities reduced to 1 nm or less. pic.twitter.com/4OPxVzvbLu

— NHC_TAFB (@NHC_TAFB) November 19, 2018

Guatemala, a Central American country south of Mexico, is home to volcanoes for centuries.

(With inputs from agencies)